The Testify Inquirer - July 29, 2024

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

THIS WEEK'S SUBMISSION

From our video Cleans vs Power Cleans vs Hang Cleans - What's the Difference?! (click the title to watch):

A C
At last! A clear explanation of this totally nonsensical terminology!

Phil
Glad you found it useful, and thanks for the kind words. Hopefully, now the terminology is a bit more sensical :-)

TESTIFY ONLINE COACHING

Want to get stronger working remotely with one of our Starting Strength Coaches? Click here to contact us and learn more.

Get Stronger. Live Better. Start today.

ARTICLES & VIDEOS

7 Things Successful Lifters Do Before Pressing HEAVY (plus BONUS tip)
What should you take care of before a heavy press (AKA overhead press)? We cover 7 simple and effective tips - plus 1 bonus tip - when preparing to press heavy. Click here to watch.

 

What is a Power Snatch? | Olympic Weightlifting Technique
What is a power snatch? How is it different from a hang snatch, hang power snatch, or snatch? We address it all here in this brief article. Click here to read.

 

Blast from the Past: FIX Your Press | Correct Your TERRIBLE Elbows to Press More!
Are your hideous elbows ruining your press? In this video - our fourth in the series of Saturday Shorts on fixing the press - we quickly discuss and demonstrate how to solve this problem. Click here to watch.

 

Blast from the Past: The Deadlift: You're Doing This Wrong - Part 2
Your wrists are messing up your deadlift, and you don't even know it. In the 2nd article in our series on correcting the deadlift, Phil covers how to achieve the correct wrist positioning. Click here to read.

“GET STRONGER - LIVE BETTER” SHIRTS ARE AVAILABLE!

Why do you train? Because getting stronger makes everything else easier. Get stronger. Live better. “Testify” to this message and represent your favorite gym with this shirt in several color options.

Click here to head to the Testify Store.

WHAT'S COMING UP

Below are a few of our upcoming events, and you can find out what else is on the calendar by heading to our events page at www.testifysc.com/events.

Deadapalooza! The Annual Testify Deadlift Festival

  • August 23, 2024

  • Deadapalooza is a strength meet wherein the only contested lift is - you guessed it - the deadlift. There will be one bar (possibly multiple bars if numbers dictate), and the meet will be conducted in a "rising bar" format, so the weight on the bar only goes up! It's a ton of fun, so come on out!

  • Click here to register or for more information.

Minneapolis, MN: Starting Strength Squat & Deadlift Camp

  • August 31, 2024

  • Spend the day learning the theory and practice of the low bar back squat and the deadlift.

  • Participants will spend lots of time on the platform receiving coaching and instruction on the squat and deadlift in a small group setting. We will also have a lecture and discussion on programming and cover how to identify and correct common technical problems.

  • Click here to register or for more information.

Starting Strength Self-Sufficient Lifter Camp

  • September 28, 2024

  • Spend the day learning the Squat, Press, and Deadlift and how to self-evaluate your lifts while training in your garage or commercial gym without a coach.

  • Click here to register or for more information.

THIS WEEK’S CONDITIONING

Option 1
Sled Pyramid – 4, 5, or 6 tiers
Go up and down a 4, 5, or 6 tier “sled pyramid” – rest as needed. The distance for each round is 80 m indoors (a down-back on the 40m course) or 200 ft outdoors (2 down-backs on the 50 ft course). Rest as needed.

For example, Bob does the following (4 tiers):
Round 1: Empty sled
Round 2: 25#
Round 3: 50#
Round 4: 75#
Round 5: 50#
Round 6: 25#
Round 7: Empty sled

Compare to 2024.05.27.

Option 2
Bike/row:
4 x 3 minutes

Rest 3 minutes between each round. Score = lowest distance.

Compare to 2024.05.06.

Option 3
Outdoors:
5-10 rounds:
10 sledgehammer strikes (5R, 5L)
50 yd farmer carry (25 yd down-back)
Rest 1 minute

Indoors:
5-10 rounds:
10 sledgehammer strikes (5R, 5L)
100 ft farmer carry (50 ft down-back)
Rest 1 minute

Compare to 2024.04.08.

Option 4
10 x 50 ft yoke carry
Each carry is 25 feet down and 25 feet back and is for time. Rest 1 minute between carries.

Compare to 2024.04.08.

As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better!

What is a Power Snatch? | Olympic Weightlifting Technique

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

What is a power snatch? How is it different from a hang snatch, hang power snatch, or snatch?

FIGURE 1: THE LIFT STARTS WITH THE BAR ON THE FLOOR (SINCE “HANG” IS NOT PRESENT).

Let’s break this down simply and quickly, and for a demonstration with explanation, watch the included (and short) video.

No “Hang”
We begin by looking at the words present or not present in the name of the lift.

The word “hang” is not present, so the power snatch doesn’t start with the barbell hanging in the hands and instead - by default - starts with the bar sitting on the floor (Figure 1).

figure 2: the lift is received in a partial depth overhead squat (since “power” is present).

“Power” is Present
The word “power” is present, and “power” refers to a landing position (AKA receiving position) - specifically, a partial squat landing position.

As a result, this means that the lift will be caught or received in a partial depth overhead squat position (Figure 2).

So . . . What IS a Power Snatch?
Thus, a power snatch is a lift wherein the bar starts on the floor and is then accelerated upward, imparting enough momentum to the bar that the bar continues upward, whereupon it is then locked out overhead (AKA “received,” “racked,” or “caught”) in a partial depth overhead squat position before it is then stood up.

As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better.

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If you found this helpful, you’ll love our weekly email. It’s got useful videos, articles, and training tips just like the one in this article. Sign up below, and of course, if you don’t love it, you can unsubscribe at any time.

At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Would you like to get quality coaching from a Starting Strength Coach?

FIX Your Press | Correct Your TERRIBLE Elbows to Press More!

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

Are your hideous elbows ruining your press? In this video - our fourth in the series of Saturday Shorts on fixing the press - Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers quickly discusses and demonstrates how to solve this problem.

(A Blast from the Past video originally published on 07/02/22)

At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Click the button below to get quality coaching from a Starting Strength Coach and start getting stronger TODAY.

The Deadlift: You're Doing This Wrong - Part 2

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 07/01/22)

This is Part 2 in our series of articles on common deadlift errors and how to fix them. Today’s error is that of bent wrists during the setup process.

His socks are oh-so-fine, but what’s wrong with this fool’s wrists?

When the barbell is sitting on the floor, your wrists should not be bent backward, i.e., they should not be in full extension. Simply put, your wrists should be straight throughout the entire setup process.

The error of bent wrists in the deadlift is actually related to the error we discussed in last week’s article - that of having your balance forward of midfoot - because, if your wrists are bent, you are most likely resting some of your own weight on the bar, and this tends to ruin the goal of midfoot balance.

Instead of being midfoot, your balance will be a bit forward (possibly a lot forward), but you won’t realize it until later when you attempt to pull the bar off the floor (and the bar starts to swing away from you). Bent wrists also give you artificially short arms, which is never an advantage in the deadlift.

Absolutely hideous. What’s he doing? Trying to push the bar down into the floor? Don’t be like this fool.

Bent wrists absolutely kill deadlifts, so how can we fix this? To start, simply cue yourself “straight wrists” or maybe even “long arms.”

If that doesn’t work, you can cue yourself to put a bit of upward tension (i.e., upward pull) on the bar when you take your grip (be careful not to move the bar forward or backward).

In other words, your wrists should always look like you are about to start pulling on something - not pushing on something.

This . . . is much better.

As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better.

(Some links may be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Testify earns from qualifying purchases.)

If you found this helpful, you’ll love our weekly email. It’s got useful videos, articles, and training tips just like the one in this article. Sign up below, and of course, if you don’t love it, you can unsubscribe at any time.

At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Would you like to get quality coaching from a Starting Strength Coach?

7 Things Successful Lifters Do Before Pressing HEAVY (plus BONUS tip) | Overhead Press

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

What should you take care of before a heavy press (AKA overhead press)? Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers covers 7 simple and effective tips - plus 1 bonus tip - when preparing to press heavy.

At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Click the button below to get quality coaching from a Starting Strength Coach and start getting stronger TODAY.

The Testify Ledger - July 22, 2024

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

THIS WEEK'S SUBMISSION

From our video This Bench Press Fix is a Game-Changer | Starting Strength Coach Explains (click the title to watch):

Kalani Pitmon
Bro my rack where I have my bar set, is a lil too low, and my arms on unrack are basically 90 degree angle almost, but the next height up is too high, Amy tips for unrack

Phil
I posted this in response to your question on the "STOP Doing This!! Your Shoulders are DESTROYING Your Bench Press" video but wanted to post it here too to make it easy to find. I hope it's useful for you.

"In general, it is far better to have the hooks a bit too low than a bit too high as you don't want to finish a set and then run the risk of not getting the bar back into the hooks while in a fatigued state.

As far as the height of the hooks seen in this video, they are different for each lifter, so don't base the height of your hooks on what you see in the video (perhaps I misunderstood the "1 peg lower than in the video" comment, but I wanted to be clear just in case).

If your arms have to be perpendicular to your torso to reach up and unrack the bar, then your hooks are most likely too low (I would say "certainly too low" but I haven't seen you lift in person, so perhaps I'm not correctly envisioning what you're describing). You should be able to reach back slightly as seen by the lifters in this video and still clear the hooks with an inch or two of space when unracking and racking the bar.

Setting up so that you are reaching straight up to unrack the bar (instead of up and back slightly) means you are essentially directly under the hooks, which means that eventually, you'll end up benching up directly into the underside of the hooks, getting trapped under the hooks in the process. This is not a situation you want to be in.

Probably a longer explanation than you were looking for, but I hope it was helpful. I'll post this to the other video that you commented on as well so you can see it in either place."

TESTIFY ONLINE COACHING

Want to get stronger working remotely with one of our Starting Strength Coaches? Click here to contact us and learn more.

Get Stronger. Live Better. Start today.

ARTICLES & VIDEOS

Beginner's Guide to Olympic Weightlifting: Power Jerk vs Squat Jerk vs Split Jerk
In weightlifting (AKA Olympic weightlifting), there are 3 different types of jerk, and each has its unique advantages. We describe and demonstrate each version as well as explain why you might want to perform it. Click here to watch.

 

LIFTING SHOES: The Complete Guide to the Best and WORST Shoes! (Lifting Gear Series)
We cover everything you'll ever want to know about lifting shoes, including what NOT to buy. This is the 5th article in our "Lifting Gear" series. Click here to read.

 

Blast from the Past: Do ONE Thing to Get Stronger and Improve All Your Lifts!
Can ONE cue help all of your lifts? Your squat, deadlift, press, bench press, snatch, and clean-and-jerk? Absolutely. We explain and demonstrate in just a few minutes. Click here to watch.

 

Blast from the Past: The Deadlift: You're Doing This Wrong
Does your deadlift swing away from you? In this first article in our series on correcting your deadlift, Phil covers how to achieve the correct balance in the setup for the pull. Click here to read.

“GET STRONGER - LIVE BETTER” SHIRTS ARE AVAILABLE!

Why do you train? Because getting stronger makes everything else easier. Get stronger. Live better. “Testify” to this message and represent your favorite gym with this shirt in several color options.

Click here to head to the Testify Store.

WHAT'S COMING UP

Below are a few of our upcoming events, and you can find out what else is on the calendar by heading to our events page at www.testifysc.com/events.

Deadapalooza! The Annual Testify Deadlift Festival

  • August 23, 2024

  • Deadapalooza is a strength meet wherein the only contested lift is - you guessed it - the deadlift. There will be one bar (possibly multiple bars if numbers dictate), and the meet will be conducted in a "rising bar" format, so the weight on the bar only goes up! It's a ton of fun, so come on out!

  • Click here to register or for more information.

Starting Strength Self-Sufficient Lifter Camp

  • September 28, 2024

  • Spend the day learning the Squat, Press, and Deadlift and how to self-evaluate your lifts while training in your garage or commercial gym without a coach.

  • Click here to register or for more information.

Testify Fall Classic

  • October 26, 2024

  • The annual Testify Fall Classic is back, and we invite you to be a part of it! This is a strengthlifting meet, which means the contested lifts will be the squat, press, and deadlift.

  • Click here to register or for more information.

THIS WEEK’S CONDITIONING

Option 1
Sled
Outdoors:
10 rounds of:
Push sled 100 ft
Pull sled 100 ft (hand over hand)

Indoors:
20 rounds of:
Push sled 50 ft
Pull sled 50 ft (hand over hand)

Compare to 2024.05.20.

Option 2
Bike/row:
5 min on
4 min off
4 min on
3 min off
3 min on
2 min off
2 min on
1 min off
1 min on

Record distance for each interval and add for total distance.

Compare to 2024.04.29.

Option 3
5-10 rounds of:
30 sec ME tire flips
30 sec rest

Compare to 2024.04.01.

Option 4
For time:
500m row
5 x 80m sled push (200 ft if indoors)
500m row

Rest 1 minute after the first row and after each sled push.

Compare to 2024.04.01.

As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better!